Abroad
by Finval
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura go travelling together. Set Post-699 and Pre-700.
1. Prologue

Abroad

Prologue

* * *

It had started to snow.

The night air cut deeply and thoroughly through the layers of his clothing and it felt as if a naked blade was being pressed to his skin. His breath fanned out from him in visible puffs as he grasped his cup tighter, hand clinging to the what little warmth it provided. The makeshift fire that he had built out of nothing but spindly twigs and a couple of hand gestures was crackling merrily along in the small clearing they had decided to rest in tonight, but even that was a small relief against the omnipresent cold which was characteristic of winters in the Land of Water. He had hoped that the clearing would provide more shelter than it currently did but as the night got colder he reconciled himself to the fact that he would have to stay up all night to maintain the fire. Without it, they would die.

Sasuke looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

She was curled up in a ball near the fireside and shivering, wrapped up in as many layers as she could drown herself in. Earlier that day, he had given her his travelling cloak despite her loud protests. When she had told him she wasn't _that_ cold and that she was perfectly fine with how she was, he had looked straight into her eyes and given her a silent glare. Her resolve had crumbled and she accepted his cloak somewhat reluctantly and that was the end of that. After all the things that they'd been through, Sakura knew that he despised dishonesty and even more so when it came from one of the few people that he cared about in this world.

He felt a pang of guilt as he saw her trembling form. He had been honest to her from the start about what his sojourns into the wild were like so she knew what she was getting herself into, but he couldn't help but feel as if this was his fault somehow. It was an all too familiar state of being, this constant guilt and shame. Sasuke wasn't sure whether his quest for atonement could ever be over. Or whether it should even be over in the first place.

Sasuke got up and walked over to where his travelling companion (his official term for what Sakura was in relation to him and the only term that he felt was definitely accurate) lay by the fireside.

"Hey," he said.

She moved her head ever so slightly to face him. "Hey, you," she said faintly, giving him a small smile. Sakura was always happy to see him. She never did blame him, even if all he could do was blame himself.

Sasuke sat down next to her pillow, setting his cup off to the side. He noticed that Sakura was also wearing all the hats that she had brought along for the trip and quite frankly, she looked ridiculous. The side of his mouth tugged upwards into a smirk.

"Cold?" he asked.

Sakura groaned. "I don't know how you aren't, Sasuke-kun. You can have your cloak back anytime though."

"I am, I'm just used to it. Meanwhile you've been living in Konoha for most of the time." He ignored the part about the cloak.

"Konoha gets too hot sometimes. There's a lot of people who come in for heat stroke during the summer," she said defensively. She'd taken it as an accusation. It was something he'd noticed the more he traveled with her- Sakura continuously trying to prove to him that she could handle everything on their journey together. It was sort of endearing, really.

"Well, keep close to the fire. Looks like we might get a snowstorm tonight," he replied.

Sakura's eyes widened. She sat up and pulled all the extra clothing tighter around her. "Should we- maybe we should-"

"If we keep the fire going, we'll be good. This place should shelter us from the worst of it."

"Oh." Her body sagged in relief and she glanced at their fire, which was still burning at a healthy blaze. After processing what he'd said a little more, she said, "I can watch over the fire tonight Sasuke-kun."

"No," he said.

"I've had my share of overnight shifts at the hospital. This isn't the first time I've done this sort of thing."

"No," he said again.

"Well I don't care what you say, I'm going to do it anyways." Her jaw was set into a hard line.

Sasuke closed his eyes. Sighing, he reopened them after some time. She still hadn't changed much after all the years they've known each other. _So annoying_ , he'd told her on multiple occasions, _so damned annoying_.

"One of us has to sleep and I'd prefer it to be you Sakura," he said. "You're the medic and it's for the better if you're well rested. Once snow sets in everything gets more unpredictable. We could get frostbite or twist an ankle tripping over something hidden in the snow or-"

"Sasuke-kun, do you think I'm a nuisance?" Sakura blurted out.

That took him by surprise. Then he remembered that this was Sakura, and Sakura was nothing if not forward when it came to these things.

True, there were times when he would get annoyed by her chatter and times where he would lose his patience and snap at her, but he never actively resented her for _being_ there with him. Far from it. Besides, Sakura wasn't to blame for coming to that conclusion. He was so used to being by himself and doing things by himself that having another person around him now at all times made him acutely aware of just how bad he was when it came to people. Sasuke had spent most of his life pushing people who cared about him away but he was done with that for good. He didn't know what sort of relationship he had with Sakura at the moment, but it was a relationship with her nonetheless and thus something worth keeping.

"No you're not." he said. "You've never been."

There was a tentative silence between them. Sakura looked at him, expecting him to say more on the topic but when it became clear to her that he wasn't, she began to speak.

"I just want you to be happy Sasuke-kun. I want to help in any way possible. I don't know if I'm doing that or doing the complete opposite, it's… really hard to tell." Sakura pulled her legs towards her chest and looked down at the ground, biting her lip.

She'd always thought too highly of him, her and the dobe. The two of them were so quick to forgive and forget and for some reason, that pissed him off. Perhaps he really was the asshole everyone else back in Konoha thought he was.

"What about you? Are _you_ happy?" he asked her, more sharply than he intended to.

"What? Of- of course I am!" she replied indignantly. "I'm- I'm with you, Sasuke-kun." Her face turned a soft shade of pink, matching the color of the hair that framed her face.

"Are you? Happy with being hundreds of miles away from home, from your friends and family, your job, your patients, your _life_? Look around you, Sakura. This isn't some damn vacation."

There was a frown on her face now and little of something else too. Sakura shifted from her position and shuffled closer to him, bringing her face close to his own and looking at him eye to eye. When she cupped his face in her gloved hands, Sasuke flinched, instantly regretting it. During the whole entire trip he had physical contact with her maybe around four or five times and in all instances it was either accidental or situational. The last thing he wanted to be was overly familiar and so he always gave her plenty of space. Now, he realized, maybe a little too much space.

Sasuke could tell she was hurt by his reaction from the way her gaze flickered for a second, but her hands still cradled his face steadily. He could feel the warmth of her hands through the coarse fabric of her gloves. Green eyes looked into his own and he couldn't help but notice what a rich shade of jade they were- a small sign of spring in the grey winter that would be around them for months to come. Unable to look at her so directly anymore, he looked off to the side.

"Forget about how I feel about this, Sasuke-kun, I want to be with you and there's nothing you can do to change that. What I want to know is whether you want me around or not." she said softly. "One moment it seems like you do and the next it seems like you don't want anything to do with me. Just a simple yes or no. If you want me to stay, I'll stay, if you want me leave, I'll be out of here by dawn."

At the beginning, Sasuke was pretty sure he wanted her around. Hell, he'd even asked her to come along with him in the first place. But what he hadn't realized at that time was just how unready he was with sharing his nomadic life with another person, and with _this_ person in particular. Sakura was a persistent reminder of just how undeserving he was and how much more he had to atone for and Sasuke didn't know whether to love her or hate her for that.

There were two things he knew for sure though. He was tired of being lonely and Sakura was one of the few people who he wouldn't want to murder after spending a few days in their company.

"Yeah," he croaked out. He cleared his throat and met her gaze once more. This time he did not look away. "Stay."

Sakura studied his face for what seemed like an hour before smiling exuberantly at him. She leaned in and buried her face in the crook of his neck as she wrapped her arms around his chest.

It had been awhile since they'd been this close together. The last time he could remember where they'd hugged like this was back when they were genin. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he'd missed this aspect of Sakura, the one who was generous with her physical displays of affection before she'd grown out of it. He could smell the familiar flowery scent of her hair amid all the other smells that had built up during their trip and feel the welcome warmth of her body spreading from his chest. His hand had somehow moved of its own accord to her waist, half embracing her and half supporting her weight.

This was what Sakura had wanted from him all along. She was probably just as lonely as he was, but unlike him she had the courage to show it.

Words failed to form in his mouth as they held each other. Sakura did not speak as well. Minutes passed before he finally felt her arms fall slack at his sides. When he looked down at her he realized that she had fallen asleep and that she was even snoring a little. Chuckling to himself at the sight, he gingerly moved her back to her place by the fire. When he was sure she was comfortable he reached for his cup and took a swig from it, staring into the fire as he thought about what had just happened.

He looked up at the night sky and at the swirling flecks of snow that would soon settle and coat the earth. Maybe it wouldn't be such a cold night after all.

* * *

Just taking a stab at this whole writing thingamabob so constructive criticism is much appreciated! Any positive, negative, or neutral feedback's just as welcome~

This will be a multi-chapter fanfic focusing on Sasuke and Sakura's magical adventures together, there will be mature content later on.

I'll also be doing sketches for each chapter and posting them on my Tumblr art blog. If anyone is interested in checking them out, please visit my profile for the URL. I'll probably post updates on my blog before I post them here.


	2. Chapter 1

Abroad

Chapter 1

* * *

"Sasuke-kun, three on your left!"

He pivoted with his left foot, going head to head with the three men that were rushing at him with their weapons drawn. Ducking the first man's clumsy jab at his head, he used his right leg to forcefully kick the large man out of his way. When the second bandit attempted to slash at him as he was taking care of his previous assailant, Sasuke parried the blow with his chokutō and rammed the hilt of his sword into his face, sending the man sprawling to the ground. The third bandit, seeing what had befallen his comrades, decided to go for another target.

During all the chaos that had transpired around him, his travelling companion had been providing cover for his back. Gloves on, fists raised in a defiant stance, Sakura was pummelling anybody who dared attacked him from behind. When the last bandit dashed towards her, axe held menacingly in his hand, she stood her ground. At the very last second, she sidestepped him and aimed a right hook to his gut, knocking him clean across the cavern. Smirking, Sasuke could hear the telltale crack of the man's ribs breaking as Sakura's fist made contact with its target. The third bandit hit the wall opposite of them, sliding into a crumpled heap on the floor.

He surveyed the room around him, making sure that there weren't any more poor souls who wanted to try their luck against him and Sakura. The cavern was dimly lit but he could still make out the multiple bodies that were strewn around in the dirt. Groans and curses echoed across the chamber as he slowly approached the lone bandit that was cowering at the very end of the hideout.

"I yield, I yield!" the bandit whimpered pitifully as he threw down his sword. "Don't hurt me!"

"Are you the leader?"

"No no no no, I'm only the second-in-command sir." The bandit squirmed closer to wall, desperate to create distance.

"Yeah right." Sasuke brought his chokutō's blade dangerously close to the man's throat:

"Please, sir, please, you hafta believe me!" the bandit pleaded. "Our- our leader isn't he-here with us, he headed out to Shiroikawa awhile ago and the bastard still hasn't returned. Before he left he said something about expectin' the two of you to show up so we got ready and-"

"Enough of that. What does your leader look like?" He brought the sword closer to the man's throat, daring him to lie.

"He's an old baldy, two scars on his right cheek. Sorta stoop backed and scrubby but damn if he isn't good with a sword. Could kill you where you stood if he was here ya know, he's that fucking terrifyin'. One time he-"

"Shut up." Sasuke knocked him out with a blow to the head. He turned to look at Sakura, who was keeping an eye on the rest of the bandits.

"This isn't good," he said.

* * *

It had all started out just two days ago.

The two of them had set upon the small village of Shiroikawa. The river that was the village's namesake flowed weakly along its western perimeter, its waters more brown than white at this point in its life. The village, if it could even be called a village, was nothing more than a collection of ramshackle wooden houses lined up against three streets. Shiroikawa shared the same decrepit look as its river. It was one of the few tiny settlements they'd seen in this particular province of the Land of Water. This one was at least lucky enough to have a name.

They'd been travelling for three straight days prior to arriving at Shiroikawa, determined to make it out of the snowfall that had plagued them for much of the past few weeks. The marshes here had a much milder weather than than the mountains from which they'd come from. Still, it was a cold and miserable slog through muddy roads and flooded rice paddies and the sight of any occupied human settlement was a welcome relief.

Shiroikawa had one tiny inn, a rarity in these parts. Sasuke had tried renting both rooms that the inn had to offer but to his trepidation there had been only one available at the time. It hadn't helped that the old innkeeper had given him a sly wink and a tongue click, tilting his head towards Sakura's general direction as the three of them walked towards their room. Sasuke scowled foully at the man. People needed to mind their own business.

He gave Sakura the bed and settled his things around him on the floor, taking inventory of their supplies. Sasuke had noticed a small general store upon entering the village and he hoped it had something of value in it. He didn't know where the next town or village would be in this place, or if there was any at all.

"Sasuke-kun."

He looked up from his task. Sakura was sitting crosslegged on the bed, staring at him. "Yeah?"

"You missed one." She pointed to a packet of water purification tablets that was lying farther away from the rest of the items.

"Oh. Thanks."

They did not talk for awhile and only the sound of him scribbling on paper served to break the silence. After the embrace they had shared a week ago, Sakura had seemed less fidgety than he remembered but she'd been uncharacteristically quiet for the last couple of days. Maybe she was tired from their trek through the mountains.

"Um, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said again as he began to pack up all his things.

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to sleep on the floor tonight if you don't want to," she said in a small voice. "I- I wouldn't mind if you slept with me on the- oh damn it, this is coming out so wrong. What I meant was that- I- you- you deserve to sleep in a bed too because you've been sleeping on the ground as much as I have and it seems unfair for me to have the bed all to myself and..." Sakura babbled on, trying to make him forget what she had said earlier with an ongoing outpour of words.

Sasuke watched as she worked herself into a fluster, her face now redder than the clothes she wore. He briefly considered taking up her offer in order to see what violent shade of red she could potentially turn herself into, but he decided against it. Sasuke wasn't too comfortable with the idea of sharing the same bed with Sakura just yet. The innkeeper's face still floated around in his mind, leering at him.

"No thanks," he said brusquely, getting up and grabbing his travel pack. "I'm going to the store. You coming?"

Sakura nodded, too embarrassed for words. She got off the bed and followed him.

There was an awkward silence as they made their way across the street to the store. It wasn't the first time this sort of thing had happened too. Come to think of it, it was inevitable that these moments would take place. They were one man and one woman travelling together- not exactly in a relationship but not entirely platonic friends either. She was the one who had been completely and unequivocally in love with him since childhood. Meanwhile, he was the one that had made multiple attempts to kill her when he was still a crazed teenager hell-bent on the destruction of the village that was their birthplace.

It was almost sounded like a farce, a needlessly complicated farce, this life of his. The only thing he could do now was to try and make things better.

They entered the store, only to find that the shelves were mostly bare. To his dismay, Sasuke could see that nothing of use was for sale. The items that were available were priced so exorbitantly that he wondered if there was anyone in this village that could afford it. The store clerk, a stout middle-aged woman, had been sweeping the floor when the two of them walked in. She looked up and noticed the frown on his face.

"We're low on supplies," she said apologetically. "Kou's bandits have been raiding our supplier's caravan for weeks now."

"Where's the next closest store?" Sasuke asked.

"We have a couple more here, but we all use the same supplier. After that the next one is probably over in Kitatani. It's a four to seven day trip by foot, depending on the weather. Word is, they've been having the same troubles that we are."

"That bad, huh. Pity," he said.

The clerk clenched her broom handle tightly. "The scum's also recently taken to extorting us for our women and belongings. We don't have much already and yet..." She shook her head.

"We'll help you!" a voice chimed in.

Sasuke turned to look at Sakura in disbelief. "We've only known her for less than a minute."

"I don't care, Sasuke-kun. She needs help, these _villagers_ need help, so we're going to help them, aren't we?" She elbowed him in the arm.

He sighed. She'd been like a blushing maiden mere seconds ago. Whatever this version of Sakura was, he knew that the more he argued with her, the more stubborn she would be.

"I suppose..." he said slowly. If they were to help these villagers, maybe they could get some supplies in return.

The store clerk had been sizing up the two of them. "Thanks, but I don't think you'll be able to do much. They're almost forty men strong. You two are still young and I won't have your deaths on my conscience. Good day," she said in a polite tone. She started to walk away.

"Wait, Oba-san! Do you have any information on these bandits? Kou's bandits, was it?" Sakura called out.

"Goodbye young lady." The clerk gave them a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Oba-san, we're shinobi, we can help you if you let us. Please!" Sakura showed her the hitai-ate she'd kept tucked in her cloak.

Sasuke groaned. Sakura had forgotten what he'd told her when they'd first set foot here. Despite its status as a member of the five Great Shinobi Countries and having a hidden village of its own, the Land of Water still had areas where the people feared or even despised shinobi. The history of this land had been rife with civil wars between clans that used their kekkai genkai solely for warfare. Once that bloody era was over, the common folk did not forget easily. It had gotten to the point where parents had started killing their own children at any sign of a kekkai genkai. There was a reason why he was careful about hiding his left eye behind his hair in populated areas and a reason why his right hand was now slowly creeping up the scabbard hidden beneath his cloak.

The clerk's expression changed almost instantly. She looked at the two of them through slitted eyes. Sakura, still oblivious to what she had done, smiled at her nervously.

After some time, the clerk spoke. "You could try asking Nori-sama. He's one of the village elders and he knows about everything and everyone that lives around here. Eight houses down and to your left. Goodbye you two." She pointed towards the door.

Once Sakura had exited the store, Sasuke paused in his step and turned towards the clerk. "Don't tell anyone else," he said. He didn't have to elaborate.

The clerk nodded. "Good luck," she said.


	3. Chapter 2

Abroad

Chapter 2

* * *

Sasuke closed the door behind him. Having only four days' worth of food left in his travel pack, he'd entered the store with the hope of being able to buy something and instead he was walking away with obligations. Sure, he could walk away from Shiroikawa right now and none of these villagers would give half a damn, but he doubted that he could get Sakura to come with him in that situation. Medic-nins were the type of people that would run towards a raging fire when any other sane person would be fleeing in the opposite direction. It was just his luck that he was travelling with one.

"Wait up, Sakura," he called after her.

She stopped in her tracks and turned, smiling at him. The sunlight gleamed brightly on her blossom pink hair, making it look as if it were illuminating the space around her. He paused a little in his steps and blinked. It took him a second to gather his thoughts again.

Sasuke continued on, walking towards a small alleyway nearby. He beckoned at her to follow him. Once she had walked over to him and he was sure no one was within earshot, he began to speak. "What were you thinking?" he hissed.

"What?" she exclaimed, surprised.

"People here aren't like the people back in the Land of Fire. They don't take kindly to shinobi, _especially_ if they have kekkai genkai." Leaning into her face, Sasuke pulled back the hair covering his left eye to drive home his point. He knew the disconcerting effect his mismatched eyes had on ordinary people. He'd seen the looks of fear or disgust they'd make as they saw his uncovered face. Sakura would probably never fully understand though. She was one of the few people who could maintain eye contact with him without turning away within seconds.

She stared at him now, green eyes wide with realization. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun! I really didn't mean to. I can't believe I forgot. It's the first thing you told me too..." Her face scrunched up in shame.

Sasuke straightened himself up and tried to soften his expression a little. "Just remember it next time, alright? Be more careful when you're around strangers." He arranged his hair over the Rinnegan again.

Sakura nodded her head vigorously. "I'm really sorry. I'm just- happy to be around people again."

"I don't count as 'people'?" he teased. Sasuke wasn't surprised she felt that way. He wouldn't exactly call himself riveting company.

"I seem to be saying all the wrong things today." She sighed, hugging her arms to her sides.

"Yeah, no kidding. We've only been here for, what, forty minutes? And now we have to save this village from bandits?"

"Back at the store you said you were okay with it!"

"Maybe I changed my mind."

"Sasuke-kun! You told me in the start that you wanted to redeem yourself. Well, here's a good opportunity to do that. It might not be the most significant place or the most glamorous task in the world, but people are in need here." Sakura put her hands on her hips.

"We don't have to come to the rescue of every little village in need of help. If we did we'd never be able to get out this place, Sakura."

"Well let's just help this one village then! It'll be easy, you could probably kick all their bandit asses in your sleep, Sasuke-kun. And plus, we could negotiate with this Nori person so that he could reward us with supplies. Think of it as a mission."

She'd thought of that as well. Sasuke didn't want to make the trip to the other village just to find out that they shared the same situation as this one. He also couldn't say that she was wrong about his fighting prowess. These were only bandits, not trained shinobi. If he could cast down a goddess, what danger was a ragtag group of bandits going to pose to him? With Sakura by his side, the bandits had even less of a chance.

He would never be as altruistic and trusting as Sakura though. It wasn't as if he was above helping ordinary civilians with their troubles- he'd helped plenty even before he'd asked Sakura to come along. However, Sasuke had seen too much of the world to know that in impoverished places like Shiroikawa, kindness was a weakness and a means to be exploited. Survival was the only thing that mattered to these people. If he wanted to get anything from here, he would have to offer them that in some form.

"Alright," he said. "Let's go meet this Nori-sama then.

Sakura pumped her fists and grinned at him. Without another word, she took off, leaving Sasuke to wonder at just how quickly she'd gotten her way with him.

* * *

"So, what brings you here?"

Nori was a large, bespectacled man well into his sixties. Along with being an elder, they had found out that he also served as the village bookkeeper. His home certainly reflected that: stray receipts, stuffed ledgers, and opened books cluttered the desks and shelves of his small office. The elder looked at them from his small armchair, peering shrewdly at them through his thick glasses. _A man with an eye for detail_ , Sasuke observed, _this may not be as easy as we thought._

"I'm Hanako, and this is Takashi." Sakura gestured towards Sasuke. "We've heard that you had a bandit problem," she said. "We can help you with that, Nori-sama."

"Oh? You two don't look the part for it," Nori said bluntly.

Sakura took a deep breath and continued on. They'd rehearsed their cover stories a few times before knocking on Nori's door. "We're mercenaries, we've had experience with these kinds of things before. Kou's bandits attempted to rob us on the road from Kitatani and we managed to beat back all of them. When we came here we heard they were giving the village some trouble so we thought we could help."

The elder's eyes narrowed. "Where's the proof of that? And what makes you think we need your help? For all I know you're just two kids running around playing at being heroes of the world while the rest of us adults take care of more pressing issues."

 _If only you knew_ , Sasuke thought.

"How would you like us to show you?" Sakura asked sweetly. Sasuke noticed that her fists were clenched and gave her a warning look.

Nori sensed the menace in her voice and wisely changed course.

"Why exactly do you want to help this village? No, let me rephrase that. What do you want in return?"

"Supplies, food in particular," Sasuke cut in. "And ryō." He actually had a small fortune's worth of ryō on him, but nobody was going to buy the idea of two mercenaries taking jobs out of the goodness of their hearts, even though it was true for at least one of them.

"Food I can provide," Nori said. "The farmers around here had a good harvest this summer so we have a few basketfuls we can spare. Ryō I cannot. The bandits have been disrupting our trade too much for our treasury to spare any."

"We'll take as many supplies as we can then," Sasuke said. "We're in need of them more."

Nori nodded. "That can be arranged. Do you have a plan? Don't you need weapons, preparations, reinforcements? Or do you suppose that you can march straight into their base and take them on by yourselves?"

That last one had been their plan, as crude as it sounded. As shinobi, stealth, subterfuge, and strategy were absolutely necessary for dealing with other trained shinobi, but not so much for common thugs like these. Sasuke exchanged an uneasy glance with with Sakura. It could be difficult to hide their real occupations from their employer.

Nori had noticed their hesitance.

"Let me ask you, do you genuinely want to help us?" Taking off his glasses, Nori leaned forward and focused the full brunt of his gaze on both of them.

"Yes, we do," Sakura exclaimed. "We've heard of what they've done and it's completely-"

"Forgive me if I do not believe you," Nori interjected. "You two are not the first mercenaries we've hired for this problem of ours. The others could talk big when they wanted to, but when it came to putting their lives on the line for us, they ran off like the rats they were and left us for the wolves. No matter though, we've learned from that. We'll pay you only when the last piece of filth that bears Kou's name is driven out. Do not expect us to help you if the need arises- we have already lost too much. If all this fails, we will deny all involvement with you. Is that clear? Do you still want to do this?" His eyes, a steely sort of ice blue, bore into theirs like a drill.

"Yes," they said in unison.

"Hmph. Well, it's your lives. I will discuss this further with the other elders to arrange for your reward and draw up a contract. Meanwhile I'll give you the basic details of our situation. From our previous attempts to shut Kou down, we've pinpointed where his hideout may be located. Judging from-"

"Just tell us where it is. We'll take care of everything else from there," Sasuke said curtly.

Nori raised an eyebrow at him. Sasuke had the feeling that he was not accustomed to being interrupted.

"Very well. I do not know the exact location myself but I do know someone who could help you with that. Where can I contact you?"

They worked out the details for the rest of the hour. Nori would arrange for a guide to lead them to Kou's hideout. The elder had initially been incredulous that their plan consisted of only this one step, but Sakura reassured him it was all that they needed and that it would be for the best because there would be minimal involvement from the village. Once everything was finalized, Nori stood up and reached over to offer them a handshake- the first hospitable gesture they'd received in Shiroikawa. Sakura took his hand and shook it firmly.

"I apologize if I seem suspicious of your actions," the elder said. "Outsiders often do not have the noblest of intentions when they set foot here and it is usually wise to maintain a healthy level of distrust. Well, let us see how this turns out. I wish you all the best." With that said, he sat down and began to write in one of his ledgers.

They exited Nori's house in a more somber mood than when they had entered it.

"They seem so defeated already, don't they?" Sakura asked sadly, eyes on the ground. "It's almost as if they don't even want us helping them."

"You can't just help them and expect them to jump all over you and thank you for it. These people don't believe in saviors anymore," Sasuke said. "Sometimes you have to wait until they want to help themselves."

"I know, Sasuke-kun, I learned that a long time ago," she said quietly. "I guess that's another thing I forgot today."

And since Sasuke knew precisely to what she was referring to, he did not reply.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day visiting the other stores of Shiroikawa, looking for anything they could use. Like the first store they went to, everything on the shelves was near useless and priced ridiculously. His stomach was rumbling by the time they'd finished so they decided to visit the village's sole izakaya.

The pub was a dark, subdued place with more empty seats than people. The air around them was permeated with the smell of cheap sake and frying meat. He could feel an oily residue settle on his face as the two of them claimed a table. Their entrance had attracted the attention of a few of the pub's patrons and a waitress came scurrying towards them to bring them their menus. Sasuke ordered a cup of water and a simple meal of yakitori and edamame. He watched, amused, as Sakura read off the menu and ordered a bottle of sweet sake, sashimi, pickles, tofu, kushiyaki, and karaage.

When the waitress left, he snickered at her.

"You eat like Naruto," Sasuke observed.

"I'm hungry," Sakura complained. "It's nighttime and I'm in a strange village in a strange country so I might as well enjoy myself. I don't even remember the last time we ate at a restaurant."

"It was in Shimizu, at a ramen restaurant. You ate four bowls."

"Well, I finished them, didn't I? I don't order food that I know I'm not going to be able to finish," she sniffed daintily.

"I suppose that's true," he said. The waitress returned and brought them their refreshments. Sakura looked at him slyly as she opened her bottle of sake and poured its contents into her ceramic cup.

"She was flirting with you earlier, you know," Sakura said nonchalantly.

"Hn. I didn't notice. Aren't waitresses supposed to do that?"

"Yes, but this one was going above and beyond for you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura took deep draught of her sake. "Giggling and playing with her hair and talking in a high pitched voice- you don't notice these things?"

"No, but should I?" He took a sip of his water. "I'm interested in hearing why you think I should."

There was a flush on her cheeks now and it wasn't from the sake. "N-n-nevermind," she stammered.

Sasuke wasn't about to let her off that easily. He was enjoying this too much. "No, go on, I want to hear why."

"Mmmnnnggghhh," she whined reluctantly, stalling for time. Sakura took yet another gulp of sake. At the rate she was drinking, she was going to finish her bottle in ten minutes.

"You're so predictable sometimes, Sakura," he said, taking the sake bottle from her and pouring some into his cup. He disliked the taste of wine but he figured he could enjoy himself from time to time. Sasuke tried to maintain a straight face as he watched her squirm in her seat some more.

"Well, _you're_ so mean," Sakura said after a few minutes, having thought of an appropriate comeback. She let loose a nervous giggle. Her voice had become a pitch higher and the flush on her cheeks had spread across her face. " _You're_ so mean to me, Sasuke-kun." Sakura reached out her hand and slapped the table, guffawing at her own words.

"Yeah, I know," he said quietly, taking a moment to sip from his cup of watered-down sake. "I know that all too well."


	4. Chapter 3

Abroad

Chapter 3

* * *

He was in his home.

No, that wasn't right. This was not his home. His home had ceased to exist mere seconds ago. Or was it years ago? It didn't matter. This was just a house now, and he was a vagrant, looking in on a scene that was too impossible to have happened.

He could see their faces. Eyes closed, lips parted, faces that were once familiar to him but were now foreign to him in their lifelessness. If not for the blood that was blossoming steadily across the floor and the odd positions their bodies were splayed in, he would've assumed they were sleeping. The moonlight bathed the corpses in a gentle yet mournful glow, as if even the gods themselves knew what had transpired in this very room and were giving him their condolences.

Having sensed his presence from the other side of the room, his brother stirred, as if he himself was waking from the dead. Itachi turned to face him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Little brother," he said softly," what brings you here?"

He could see the weariness in his eyes, the weariness he had been too young to notice the last time around, but all he could focus on was the revolving, _revolting,_ red of his two Sharingans. Sasuke knew what was coming next and so he spurred himself to action.

He summoned chakra to his left hand and soon sparks began to dance on his fingertips. When he'd built up a sufficient amount, lightning weaved through his fingers and pulsed up and down his forearm, crackling and splitting with pure destructive energy. He activated the Rinnegan and felt the familiar push and pull of his very being as his body was transported across the room. Left arm outstretched in front of him, Sasuke thrust Chidori straight into his brother's chest.

 _Am I strong enough now, Nii-san?_ he thought, as blood and viscera sprayed over his face, _Am I good enough to deliver judgement for your sins? It's taken me years of planning and years of work and it's cost me so, so much to get to here, but I did it all for you._

His older brother stood there, seemingly unaware of the gaping wound in his chest. Itachi looked down on him, a loving smile on his lips as he brought his right hand to Sasuke's forehead and gave it a gentle nudge with two of his fingers. Sasuke withdrew his left arm from his brother's chest, recoiling back in horror. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Thank you," Itachi whispered as he slowly sank to his knees. "You don't know how long I've waited for this, Sasuke. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank..." He fell face-forward with a soft thump, finally joining the bodies of his (their?) parents on the blood-slicked floor.

The three of them lay at his feet now, forming a crude circle around him. He saw their shuttered eyes and lax faces and envied them their eternal rest. They had all moved on to a better place, leaving him behind to crawl around in this hell he was forced to live in. Never had he felt as completely and utterly alone as he did now.

As Sasuke stood in his former living room, surrounded by the bodies of what used to be his family, he heard a faint sound of laughter emanating from the room. To his surprise, it was coming from his own throat. A rush of hysteria overtook him then and there, and he collapsed to the ground, doubled over in howls of laughter and grief. The place that Itachi had touched on his forehead suddenly began to burn, a cruel reminder of what he had lost and could never have again. Sasuke clawed and gouged at it, desperate to excise it from his body and for it to leave him alone, alone, alone...

* * *

He was still clutching his forehead when he woke, screaming at everything and nothing in particular.

His throat was raw from overuse and blood was pounding through his head like a riptide. Sweat beaded at every inch of his body. When he forced his eyes open partially, he became dimly aware of Sakura hovering over him and holding him down by his shoulders, her grip powerful but gentle. Another person was pacing nervously near the door. The two of them were arguing back and forth.

"The hell's going on with him? Commotion's loud enough to wake even my mother-in-law and that hag slept through a _typhoon_ once. Get him to shut up or you'll find both your asses out the door and in the street within the hour, I won't have you disturbing my other guests!" The innkeeper from before. The man seemed oblivious to how loud he was being himself.

"I'm trying, just give it time, he'll calm down, look, he's got his eyes open a little. Please sir, be patient, I've seen this before, it just takes a few minutes for him to reorient himself." Sakura's voice was calm and and self-assured. Remembering what they had talked about earlier, she quickly swept some of Sasuke's hair over his left eye.

"How long does it take to get him to wake up? I should just throw some cold water on him and be done with it. That'd probably work better than what you're doing right now."

Sakura chose to ignore this, turning her attention back to him. "Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, don't worry, it's alright you're here, you're here, it's just a dream, we're in an inn in Shiroikawa, everything's okay, nothing's going to hurt you here," she murmured soothingly.

Sasuke opened his eyes fully only to close them almost immediately. The light in the room was too much for him to bear at that moment. He tried to compose himself, breathing in huge gulps of air to try to quell the panic coursing through his body. Rolling over to his right side, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and cradled his head in his hand. Years had passed since that day and yet these dreams still had such an effect on him. Blearily, he rubbed his eyes and opened them again.

Sakura sat nearby, watching him with a worried expression on her face. Though her voice had been composed when talking to the innkeeper, her wide eyes had a terrified look to them. There were bags under her eyes as well; he must've woken her up in the middle of the night. Her hands were fidgeting with the hem of her shirt and she looked unsure of what she should do.

Sasuke averted his eyes from her. To his shame, she'd learned long ago to give him his space after he had his episodes. The first time she'd seen him like this, Sakura had immediately went to his side to comfort him and in return, still half-crazed from his nightmare, he'd almost hurled her into a tree trunk. He hadn't wanted to be touched then, and he didn't want to be touched now.

Remembering that there was another person in the room, Sasuke turned to the innkeeper. The man had blessedly decided to stop talking. If he hadn't, Sasuke would've forced him to and probably in a way the innkeeper would very much dislike.

"You," he said hoarsely, pointing at the innkeeper, then at the door. "Get out. Now."

The innkeeper looked at him with something akin to indignation. Sasuke glared darkly at him, daring him to do anything else. He didn't care what the consequences were if this whole thing ended with a fight; he was tired of the man's intrusions into his personal life.

"Peh." The innkeeper spat on the floor before giving him one last dirty look. "I knew you two were going to be trouble. I should kick you both out for being such a nuisance _and_ destroying my property, but since I'm a good, decent man I'll just be keeping all of your security deposit for that vase you broke." He exited the room in a huff.

Sasuke looked to his right and saw that the lone vase in the room had fallen and shattered on the ground. He wondered if he'd broken anything else.

"You all right?" he asked Sakura.

She jumped a little at his question, clearly startled that he was talking to her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I should be the one asking that, Sasuke-kun."

"How long was I... like that?"

"Five, ten minutes, I think? You were shouting through most of it. What- what happened?"

"It doesn't concern you. I'm sorry I put you through that," Sasuke said flatly, grabbing his cloak and draping it over his shoulders. Getting up from the floor, he went to where their travel packs were, picking up his scabbard.

"Wait, where you going?" Sakura got up and followed him.

"Outside." He made to move towards the door but Sakura stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Not now, Sakura," he said gruffly, trying to push her aside. She stood firm and pushed him back towards the wall. Sasuke was so surprised at this sudden turn of events that he momentarily forgot to get annoyed at her.

"I'm not going to let you go off by yourself again, Sasuke-kun. I've seen your back too many times to count and I'm just so _tired_ of letting you go off like that and not being able to do a thing about it. You asked me to come along with you and we've been traveling with each other for four months, but you're _still_ doing it even when we're together," she said angrily. Her fists were clenched at her sides, shaking ever so slightly. "I understand the desire to be alone when things like this happen, I truly do. But have you considered that it doesn't always have to be this way? That you don't always have to shut me out?"

He'd thought about it, yes. Almost did it once, even. However, it always came back to the simple truth that he'd wanted nothing more than to distance himself from her after he had these nightmares. Sasuke hated that she'd seen him so weak, so affected, so _helpless_ in the times when he was in thrall to his own subconscious. It _galled_ him to know that another person had seen him at his most vulnerable. Time alone was the only thing that made him feel ready to be around her again, as contradictory as it sounded.

Wordlessly, Sasuke picked himself back up and walked around Sakura, focusing his gaze only at the door. He didn't dare look back. Stepping through the threshold, he closed the door gently behind him and hoped that this was the end of the whole affair. As Sasuke emerged from the inn and into the biting cold of the winter night, he let out a deep, shuddering breath. The frigid air was refreshing as it buffeted his flushed skin and he relished in the feeling of his senses being heightened by the unforgiving cold.

The full moon was out tonight, basking everything in its blue light. Sasuke walked through the sleeping town and tried to let go of the tension that had built up in his body during his restless sleep. A headache were starting to form in his head, no doubt helped by the sake he had drank earlier that night. Once he'd reached the outskirts of Shiroikawa, he stopped. To his annoyance, Sasuke could hear the soft patter of footsteps as Sakura caught up to him.

"I could knock you out again, you know." He knew it was callous of him to bring up the night of his defection and her futile attempt at getting him to stay. Yet he still wanted to see what sort of reaction he would get, goading her like this. Maybe she'd even leave him alone.

"Just try to," she replied. "I've learned a few things since that night."

"Let's see you prove it then." Sasuke threw down his scabbard and eased the cloak off his shoulders. If she wanted to talk to him so badly, she was going to have to do it in the language he knew best. "Taijutsu only, no chakra allowed. Three strikes. I won't hold anything back so I suggest that you don't as well." Turning to face Sakura, he scanned their surroundings. It was just the two of them on the dirt road, surrounded by the rice paddies and the moon and the stars. A beautiful night for a spar.

Without another word, Sakura lunged at him. Sasuke smirked as he deflected a fist aimed at his face. He'd still win, of course. While he lacked an arm, he more than made up for it with his speed and stamina- a direct contrast to Sakura's emphasis on strength. Sakura was nevertheless a ferocious fighter and he found himself on the defensive for the first few minutes, blocking the flurry of her kicks and punches in quick succession. He knew if he let her land a single hit on his body, the bruising would last for days.

He could see the frustration and anger mounting in her eyes when he evaded one of her punches, using her forward momentum to drive her to the ground. There was a certain fury to all the frenzied swings she'd aimed at him but that only made Sakura's movements even more predictable. She hadn't managed to land a hit on him yet whereas he'd gotten at least five on her. As they traded blows, her breaths became more labored and her punches more sluggish. Sasuke went on the offensive now, beating her back with deliberate and precise jabs, knowing that the end was coming soon.

On the first strike, he'd had her pinned face down to the ground, flailing her legs uselessly. On the second strike, he'd succeeded in trapping both of her arms behind her back with his one hand. On the third strike he had her in a chokehold, his arm wrapped snugly around her neck with her body pressed up against his. They were both panting with exertion now, their lack of sleep having finally caught up to them.

"And that makes three," he said smugly into her ear. "Good spar, though." Extremely one-sided, but still, a good spar. His mood had improved during the course of their sparring session. Fighting often took his mind off of other things. _Winning_ fights made him feel even better.

Sakura gave a cry of frustration and bucked against him furiously. For a second, Sasuke's mind wandered off to a place wholly unrelated to their current situation before a sudden, _excruciating_ sort of pain brought him speeding back to the present. He let out a yelp of anguish and surprise. _She'd kicked him in the groin_ , he thought incredulously. _Haruno Sakura had actually..._

Sasuke let go of her immediately and fell to the ground writhing in agony. When the pain had subsided a little, he gritted his teeth and looked up at Sakura balefully. His pink-haired sparring partner-turned-sore loser had crossed her arms and was looking down on him with a somewhat satisfied expression on her face.

"What the _HELL_ was that for?" he bellowed.

"You said to not hold back, Sasuke-kun, so I didn't," Sakura said sweetly. "But I guess you won still."

She turned on her heel and walked back in the direction of Shiroikawa. As Sasuke watched her figure grow smaller and smaller, he realized that this was the first time, in the fifteen or so years that he'd known Sakura, that he'd had a view of her retreating back.


End file.
